The practice of mental alchemy requires knowledge pertaining to Mars in astrology and your birth chart.
Renowned as the God of War Mars exhibits a special independence and force not possessed by the other planets. It cuts into the energy field of the Sun and picks up and transmits an energy that is positive, active, sharp, forceful and unyielding.
Hermetic astrology teaches that Mars is the planet of strife, disputes, aggressive force and violence so it’s classified as a discordant planet. By its nature it adds discord to the aspects it forms and its sign and house locations.
Chances are Mars in your birth chart has a discord score which means your urge to take aggressive action is inclined to express in a way that causes mishap and misfortune, even destruction.
Yet, the constructive and destructive qualities expressed by Mars are necessary in your life. You have to avoid or overcome harmful conditions in order to survive; and nature has been at great pains to develop the qualities which lead to self and race preservation. A set of mental factors have been evolved which possess not only the ability to avoid antagonistic entities, but to meet and defeat them.
On your evolutionary journey your aggressive urge expressed selfishly being mainly dedicated to the destruction of enemies and the gaining of sustenance, with no thought as to the consequences of your actions on others. To hunt, fight, find food, build nests, dig burrows and provide for yourself and family you developed initiative and an energy supply.
Now, as a human, this aggressive energy and its associated desire for sex defines your animal soul. It manifests as crude, course and vicious tendencies and intense desires and while you’re here on Earth you draw on this energy supply for every physical, mental and spiritual accomplishment.
Your behavior strives to satisfy desire and if you desire to improve your physical, mental or spiritual performance your aggressive energy has to be directed into channels that are constructive and beneficial.
About Mars
Mars absorbs and transmits an energy that is sharp, energetic, thoughtless, intrepid and fierce. It’s fiery, imperious, combative and unrelenting and at its happiest when fighting for what it perceives is right, competing against a rival or combating an opponent or enemy.
When its energy is tamed and directed intelligently Mars represents the spirit of enterprise, coupled with an untiring energy and potent will. It never concedes or accepts defeat. It gives the viewpoint ‘might is right’ and brooks no interference from anyone. It gains through initiative and combat and struggles on even in the face of devastating adversity and loss.
Mars is highly mechanical and rules steel, machinery of all kinds, implements of construction and destruction, and among people cooks, soldiers, surgeons and mechanics.
Mars is suited for work that calls for daring and courage. When harmonious it tends to strengthen the physical body and gives it activity. Only those with a strong instinct for race preservation can succeed as a doctor, surgeon or law enforcement officer.
Mars gives the chemical secretions which your body uses when making war on bacteria or other invading agents. It provides the iron for red blood, and has special rule of the adrenalin glands, the secretion of cortisol – the hormone of courage – and the gonad secretions. The adrenalin secretion is chiefly used to combat bacteria and overcome toxic conditions.
When Mars is discordant it tends to attract fevers, infections, blood poison and abscesses. It predisposes to accidents, injuries, acts of violence, operations and strife of various kinds.
Mars and you
Mars provides the elements for building your muscles and sinews which are essential for physical expression and activity; and its thought-elements combine in your astral constitution into the family of thoughts called the aggressive group. The experiences they attract are the result of aggression or strife.
Mars rules your desire to mate, your animal appetites and passions, and the activity of your aggressive urge which sources your combativeness, destructiveness, aggression, fiery impulse and passion.
Your animal propensities, which are inclined to crop up quite regularly, are your most valuable assets in an undeveloped state. You should not encourage their expression but harness the energy to a constructive purpose.
Mars gives you courage, resistance, enterprise and aggressiveness.
Without it you would accomplish nothing. You’d be in a constant state of fear, dread and anxiety. You would lack the ability to struggle on when faced with adversity or to strive to achieve a cherished goal.
Mars in your birth chart represents the iron you have to work with.
As a mineral iron is harsh and gray and forceful. It turns an angry red when exposed to the attacking influence of the elements, but when properly tempered may become the finest steel.
You, likewise, may have a temper, but when it’s properly controlled it’s a valuable asset expressing as resilience and a fast rebound from adversity or defeat.
The house position of Mars indicates the department of life where there is strife, haste and strenuous activity and if it’s discordant there’s a predisposition to attract unfortunate events with its life-matters.
The fluxing of the iron, in order to harmonize its discord, is best achieved by applying a silver antidote: thoughts and experiences associated with the domestic side of life.
When thoughts and feelings of lust or anger are aroused you should interest yourself as thoroughly as possible in helping those in the home, or those who are weak and in distress.
If sufficiently encouraged this maternal-caring attitude and the actions springing from it will generate thought-elements which will, if pleasure is felt, combine with the aggressive thought-elements in your astral body to form a more fortunate compound.
So, you need to understand Mars and its true nature: its thoughts, feelings and emotions and the type of experience it attracts. And if it’s discordant in your birth chart you’ll know that you’ve got work to do transmuting its destructive tendency.
When you remove the dross from the iron in your soul your aggressive urge will work to bring harmony and success into your life. The changing of your habit of aggressive thinking, feeling and acting will remove the dross and retain the part that is pure and beneficial.
Your objective is to displace the discordant thoughts of anger and strife with caring domestic thoughts so that there’s a more fortunate event outcome.
Join the fight for justice
Unrelenting effort in behalf of some noble cause and undeviating activity and determination in the face of great obstacles and unfair opposition are forms of iron that have been purified.
Regardless of what others do, if you cast aside anger and thoughts of vengeance, and think and act firmly and justly, with a clear comprehension of the effect your attitude and actions are having on the welfare of society as a whole, you have made constructive use of your aggressive thoughts.
Calmness, tranquility and tolerance are lessons to be learned. You can be just, even with those who are pitted against you, and you can strive valiantly to overcome opposition without desiring to injure anyone.
When it becomes necessary you should use your aggressive force to tear down and destroy beliefs and social conditions that threaten the spiritual life of society.
For the higher, more spiritual side of Mars to manifest, it is necessary that positive, aggressive spiritual thoughts be energetically cultivated. And to use the energy constructively, you should labor to spread the light of truth and persistently direct your energy into channels that benefit society and the universal good.
Such zeal to constructively assist in universal progress furnishes the qualities necessary for the transmutation of iron; and you’ll become a true constructive participant in the erection of the Cosmic edifice.
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